


A Lady to Begin With

by Laylah



Category: Baccano!
Genre: F/M, Genderswap, Podfic Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-13
Updated: 2009-11-13
Packaged: 2017-10-02 14:00:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/pseuds/Laylah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she walks out onto the dance floor with him, Firo can't help feeling like everyone is watching them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lady to Begin With

**Author's Note:**

> Podfic read by Rhea and Gwen is available here: http://amplificathon.livejournal.com/830443.html

Coraggioso is the biggest of the Gandors' establishments, but not the only one. Firo tried looking there first, but no luck tonight. Hah. No Luck tonight, really. So now he's trying a few other places, where the lights are low and the air smoky and the music is almost as risky as the games at the tables.

The guys working the door at this particular hole in the wall know him well enough to tease. "Hey, little Firo," Joey says, "isn't it past your bedtime?"

"That's right," Sal adds. "You shouldn't stay out late on a school night."

"Shut up," Firo says, grinning. He almost tells them his big news, but he's been saving it, wants the Gandors to hear it first. "Are the bosses around?"

"Luck's here," Sal says, "and Keith'll probably show up before that new horn player we got goes on." Keith is the one who got them started running jazz clubs in the first place, from what Firo remembers. He might not look the type, but there's this serious concentrating look he gets when someone really good is playing music, and Firo's been around the Gandors long enough to know that means he likes it.

"Thanks," Firo says, ducking in the door as the guys stand aside to let him. "See you round!"

Luck is the one he most wanted to tell anyway, really. He squints through the smoke inside the casino, looking around -- and she's not hard to find, not really. There aren't a lot of women here, apart from the ones working for the Gandors, so there's really not much competition for the guys' attention. They have a woman singing tonight, her voice crooning and low, but only a few of the guys are really watching her. Luck's at a table near the bar, with a glass of champagne and a few guys trying to talk to her.

Firo threads his way through the room -- good thing Luck's not in one of the poker games tonight, or he'd never get her attention -- toward her table, and she smiles when she sees him coming.

"Good evening, Firo," Luck says, and the guy who'd been talking to her looks annoyed.

"Hi," Firo says, and smiles. "I've been looking all over for you tonight, you know."

"I didn't realize you missed me so much," Luck says, and the tone of her voice makes Firo blush.

"I didn't say that!" he protests. "I have good news, that's all. So I wanted to tell you. All three of you."

Luck takes a sip of her champagne. "Ask me to dance, Firo."

That _definitely_ annoys the other guys at the table. "What?" Firo says. "I mean, um. May I have this dance, Miss Luck?"

"Of course," Luck says, and holds out her hand so Firo can help her to her feet. Her gloves are creamy pale satin, slippery against his fingers. When she walks out onto the dance floor with him, Firo can't help feeling like everyone is watching them.

"People are going to talk," he says, laying one hand carefully against the curve of Luck's waist. He's still too short to dance with her, really, but he's not going to say anything about that if she doesn't.

"Let them talk," Luck answers, shrugging. Firo's watching the pale gold arch of her collarbone. "It keeps them distracted from the important things."

"Right," Firo says. Distracted. He can see how -- "And they won't hear us talking, either," he realizes.

Luck nods. When Firo looks up, her eyes are warm and amused. "What's your good news, Firo?"

"Ah!" Firo says. "You're trying too hard to be distracting. I almost forgot." Luck smiles, and he smiles back. "You know how Maiza introduced me to Don Martillo this summer?"

"How could I forget?" Luck murmurs. She leans a little closer, and Firo nearly misses a step at the soft crush of her -- her curves against him.

"You're doing that on purpose," he accuses. "Anyway, Don Martillo likes me. I -- I'm going to be an executive."

Luck's hand in his squeezes a little tighter. "Congratulations," she says. She sounds surprised, Firo thinks.

"It's not really official until I have the initiation and everything, but the don says he's sure it'll go fine, and if there's anyone I want to have there for the party afterward I should go ahead and invite them. So I want all three of you to be there," Firo explains. "Claire, too, if he were in town, but he's probably busy, huh?"

"I expect he probably is," Luck says. "And I...appreciate the invitation, but are you sure it won't cause trouble?"

"What?" Firo pulls back a little so he can look Luck in the eyes. "Of course not. I mean, the Martillos know I'm friends with all of you. They think it'll be good for both families."

Luck smiles, and looks down. "Keep dancing, Firo," she says gently. "I didn't mean it would be a problem for the Gandors to attend. We haven't had any confrontations with the Martillos, and the don is always reasonable. But the Camorra is...a gentlemen's association, isn't it?"

"So?" Firo says.

"I know Claire teases you about being slow, Firo," Luck purrs, "but it can't have escaped your notice that I'm not exactly a gentleman."

Firo steps on her toes, and usually he's a _good_ dancer. "I'm sorry!" he says. "I -- you really think it would be a problem? It's not like they don't know you help run the Gandor family."

"Most of New York's underworld must know by now," Luck says. "I'm starting to think we're more well-known for that than anything else. But knowing it and approving of it aren't the same thing."

"You think Don Martillo would refuse to let you come to my initiation?" Firo says. He wants to argue there's no way, to say that of course it'll be fine, but -- he isn't entirely sure that's true. His steps lag, and he catches himself letting Luck lead for a few beats. His face heats again. "If they don't let you be there --"

"Don't say you'll do anything rash," Luck interrupts. "This is an important opportunity for you, Firo. Don't waste it."

"Luck," Firo says. He's not sure how to say what he means. He's been friends with the Gandors since he was little, since before Claire even moved in with them, and that's important too, isn't it?

Luck turns her head and kisses his cheek gently. "I'm happy for you," she says. "And if the Martillos don't mind, I'd be glad to come to your party." She squeezes his hand. "And if I can't do that, well. You'll just have to come celebrate with us afterward, right?"

Firo smiles in relief, pulling her a little closer. "Right," he says. "Thanks, Luck." The song comes to an end, and he kisses her back before he can lose his nerve. "Sounds like a good plan to me."


End file.
